Star Wars
When I was a kid, my mom bought me an R2-D2 toy, and that night, I watched Star Wars for the first time. After that, I immediately watched The Empire Strikes Back, and something hit me: someone was telling this story. Someone was behind a camera crafting what we saw on screen, and in that moment I knew, I wanted to be a filmmaker. That Original Trilogy means a ton to me.
Star Wars means something to me and to several other people, and the fact that just a series of films can impact various generations this much says something. Without Star Wars, maybe I wouldn’t as into film. I don’t know.
But watching the behind the scenes features for the Prequels and Originals as a kid actually taught me a lot about filmmaking. And making cheesy Star Wars movies with my cousin with my grandparents’ camera was a really significant part of my childhood.
The scene of Luke Skywalker staring off at the twin suns is my favorite shot in the entire series, and brings me to tears each time I watch it. I think that there’s a moment in all of our lives to where we want to strive to do something more or bigger with our lives, rather than just stay where we’re at. We all want to accomplish something significant, and “save the galaxy”.
Everything about the original 1977 film is unique and special. George Lucas had this incredible vision and was brought to life in grand fashion. This film's entire production is also an inspiration, as literally everyone thought that it would be a massive critical and financial failure, yet surprised everyone. John Williams' beautiful score mixed with incredible cinematography and groundbreaking special effects took somewhat familiar concepts and crafted something truly remarkable for it's time. Star Wars was the blockbuster that changed everything and continues to shape generations today.
I can't say much about Star Wars that has already been said, but I also think it's worth noting that George Lucas' wife at the time, Marcia Lucas, did a phenomenal job editing this film, and it's partially due to her that the film was as successful as it ended up being. If you watch some of the early editing drafts, they're just awful. Without her, Star Wars may not have become what it ultimately did.
I love these films so much: where it started, where it was, and where it’s going. For better or for worse, I wouldn’t change a single thing about this universe, gungans and all. Happy Star Wars Day. 9.5/10